Pinto Basin Sand Dunes

Joshua Tree National Park

The Pinto Basin formed as opposing fault lines stretched and pulled the earth’s crust apart, forcing mountainous uplifts on either side while the expanding space in between sank. This depression once held a shallow lake that disappeared with a warming climate. The Pinto Basin Sand Dunes are not true dunes, but rather a modest layer of fine sand covering an elevated ridge along a fracture in the Earth. There is no maintained trail leading to the dunes, however the ridge is visible from Turkey Flats and a fairly direct N-NE path can be taken to them.